Before you continue reading, please watch this....
Okay, done? HELLS YEAH!
I know I'm a fanboy of Batman. I think he is the greatest character ever created, in any medium be it fiction, comic books, movies or tv shows. He has no super powers, no ability to fly, be invisible, or turn green with rage. What he does possess, is an unbreakable desire to protect the citizens of Gotham city. To make sure that the pain he felt when his parents were so desperately taken from him, will never have to be endured by anyone else. With an indeterminable wealth, he scoured the globe, allowed the best people to teach him how to fight, how to protect himself, how to make himself appear to be 'more than just a man'. In the world of comics, there are no two better writers than Grant Morrison and Scott Synder for who Batman is and what he means to the modern world. I highly recommend you pick up whatever editions are available by these two formidable writers.
But before that, it was Frank Miller and Alan Moore who resurrected the Dark Knight. Made him 'more than just a costumed superhero'. The Batman tv series in the 60's, for all it's cheese and poorly written lines, is fondly remembered. Who can forget the shark repellant spray built into Batman's utility belt? But it was a joke Batman. It had no depth, no relatability and was just pure popcorn. It was Moore and Miller who decided it could be more.Frank Miller wrote The Dark Knight Returns and Batman Year One, Alan Moore wrote The Killing Joke. Both were outstanding pieces of fiction, and rejuvenated the comic book industry as much as it did the character of Batman himself. This led to the character becoming popular again, and with it a movie was born. Batman (1989) was a good movie. Not a great one, but it was for a long time, along with Richard Donner's Superman, the defining comic book movie. Looking back, Jack Nicholson's Joker is the best thing about the movie. Not Batman, not Bruce Wayne, but The Joker. The pattern however was set. The sequels that followed were always about which villain was going to be introduced. Batman Returns? Michelle Pfeiffer's sexy Catwoman stole the show. Batman Forever? The turn of Jim Carrey's The Riddler. Batman and Robin? Well...er...let's just pretend it doesn't exist.
With Batman and Robin killing the franchise for almost 10 years, it was left to a English filmmaker to bring back an American icon. Who was cast? A Welsh man. Slowly but silently, a major cast was assembled. Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine (Again all British or Irish actors). The pieces started to fall into place and Christopher Nolan made one of the best decisions he ever did. He focused on Bruce Wayne, and how he came to be Batman. Watch the movie again, and you'll see that Batman doesn't appear until almost an hour into the movie. This was as much about the man as it was the myth.
With Batman Begins proving to be a success (as much on DVD as it was at the Box Office), The Dark Knight was greenlit. Heath Ledger was announced as The Joker. Everyone raged. They thought there was no way he could capture one of the most iconic villains of all time. 'Bring back Jack Nicholson' believe it or not was amongst the cries. Well, we all know what happened next. A billion dollar box office and an unfortunately posthumous Oscar later, and suddenly Ledger's Joker was more revered than the great Jack Nicholson's. But again, watch the movie, and you'll see The Joker is only in it for 30 minutes in total. It was very much Bruce Wayne / Batman's movie.
Which leads us to The Dark Knight Rises. The first teaser trailer was launched six months ago, and now we have a proper trailer to analyse. But this is where Nolan is clever. I only watch the official trailers like this, and no iPhone recorded footage, because in Nolan we trust. Go back and watch the trailer for Inception. I went into the movie pumped, and yet for 30 minutes, I was still unclear what it was about. The Dark Knight? There's no footage from the last hour of the movie. Nolan understands that some of us still like to discover the movie in the theatre as it's playing, and not have every single plot twist and story beat spoon fed to us in the trailer.
And again, he pulls it off. Here's my own breakdown, though I'm sure I've missed some things.
The trailer begins with the American National Anthem being sung over some other footage. Very foreboding, and I love the shot of Bane rising from the depths as the personification of innocence, a small boy, sings his heart out.
As the camera pans over the crowd, a few people are holding up signs. One of them spells out Rogues, the name of the Gotham football team team. Look at 'R', looks a bit like the Robin symbol. Reading too much or a cute nod to the comics? Or a hint we may see the Caped Crusader take on a partner during the movie?
This leads to Alfred talking. As he does, a figure approaches a silver dish, using a cane to support himself. Some speculation has Ra's Al Ghul returning (Did we see him die in Batman Begins?), but my guess is it's Bruce Wayne. Nolan has already stated that Batman is going to get hurt in this movie. Bad. Alfred's dialogue about not being able to protect Bruce would certainly support this. Even as Alfred says this, we see Bruce, and he looks like a defeated man.
Then we hear people talk about how this is a time of peace not war, as Commisioner Gordon takes the stage. This appears to be taking place outside of Wayne Manor. Did Bruce pay for this? Does he want Gordon to step down, knowing what he's sacrificed to get Gotham into a state of peace?
There are pictures of Harvey Dent behind Gordon as he is about to speak. Did Dent's death galvanize the city in the same way as Bruce's parents deaths did 30 years previously? Is Bane about to expose the truth of what actually happened to Dent, sparking the mass riots and civil unrest glimpsed further into the trailer?
Which leads to my favourite shot of the trailer. As the speeches go on down below, it looks like the shadow of Bruce up high on Wayne Manor. He remains the man in the shadows, never seeking the plaudits or adulation. But with the overlaying music, it appears that he's solemn. What has he had to give up in order to help Gotham get to where it is?
Then we have Bruce go into a ballroom, with Hathaway's Selina Kyle talking over the top about how it will all not last. About how the rich are about to find out that nothing good lasts forever. Bruce dances with Selina as she talks (a nod to Batman Returns?), and is left appearing broken, almost fearful that she is right, and that it's only a matter of time. Does he possess the same desire to step up again?
'A storm coming' - definitely in the form of Bane. Hardy looks menacing in every shot he is in this trailer. He walks up to you, you know something bad is going to happen. The Joker was always going to challenge Batman's mind, but Bane is going to challenge him physically and based on the footage in the trailer, even Batman cannot compete with this monster.
'You and your friends better baton down the hatches' - who is Selina referring to? Bruce Wayne's allies? Or Batman's?
We then have rioter's looting the rich. A nod to our own reality with the London riots? The shot of the man, fearing for his life, cowering under a set of drawers only to be pulled out by force is a frightening possibilty. At first, I wondered if it was Alfred!
As Selina walks away, look at Bruce. Obvious grey streaks have appeared in his hair. He is less confident. Nolan has stated this takes place 8 years after The Dark Knight, what has he had to sacrifice in that timeframe? Hunted by the police, blamed for Dent's death, it all has to take it's toll.
Prisoners then march out of a destroyed gate, Bane awaiting them. Is this like the Knightfall comic series which ends with Bane breaking Batman's back, leaving him paralysed and his spirit broken? Is he breaking inmates out of Arkham and forcing Batman to exhaust himself taking them all down? And will he then pounce on Batman when he is weak and weary?
Bruce then appears to be in some sort of prison and sporting a beard. Is he undercover? Has Bruce been arrested for something? Has Batman been caught and his identity revealed? Seems like a foreign prison of some kind.
Then our one money shot. A football player runs with the ball as the ground swallows up all of those who are behind him. Awe inspiring stuff. Note that the players name is Ward. Another hint that Robin could be in this movie? (Burt Ward played Robin in the tv series).
'When Gotham is ashes, you have my permission to die' - The one line Bane speaks in the trailer. And he appears to be saying it to Bruce, not Batman. In the comics, Bane works out Batman's identity and targets Bruce himself. Does he know? And also, 'you have my permission to die'. Does this mean he is going to break Batman, let him watch his city be destroyed, and then kill him? Cold blooded bastard, and exactly the kind of adversary Batman needs.
Then the trailer settles into a montage of shots. Marion Coilltard is briefly glimpsed. The official character list has her as Miranda Tate, a woman who works for Wayne Industries. But speculation leads to her being Talia Al Ghul. Bruce leans on a cane as he smiles at her. How badly has he been beaten?
A man in a suit in freefall. Must be Bruce, some sort of danger appearing at the party.
Batman holding some sort of ray gun? He needed his sonar device to track The Joker in The Dark Knight, is this what he needs to challenge Bane?
A massive truck charges through Batmobiles. But these are not black but camouflaged. Has Bruce donated the design to the police? The army?
Men descending down what appears to be the well that Bruce fell down as a child. Are they going to attack Batman in the Batcave having learned his identity?
A quick shot of Joseph Gordon Levitt, brandishing a shotgun, backing off. Officially he's playing a cop. Speculation has it he could become Robin.
A quick money shot as Bane approaches Batman on the steps of Gotham courthouse as a massive riot engulfs them. The most notable thing about this is that it takes place in broad daylight. Batman has always been a creature of the shadows. A spook story. Does he even really exist or did the media just make him up? By showing up in broad daylight, he loses the shock factor about his appearance. Again, are these the lengths he has to go to to challenge Bane?
And then, my second favourite shot of the trailer. The Batwing?!? This does not look like anything out of the comics, nor the earlier movies. This looks state of the art and akin to a flying Batmobile from Nolan's movies. It appears to be behind a fleet of camouflaged Batmobiles. This means war, just how extreme has Bane gone?
And then THAT music builds to a crescendo, leading into the line THE LEGEND....ENDS. Will Nolan do the unthinkable and kill Batman? Leave his legacy as what Gotham needs to thrive?
Who knows? I'm sure I've missed plenty, but this is why Nolan is so clever. He shows you a lot, but nothing at the same time. If you catch anything else, feel free to comment below.
But one thing is clear, this trailer seems to be one of the most talked about current events of today, in any media or newsform. If this doesn't tell how big this movie is, nothing will.
Until next time...........
